Standard biochemical and molecular biological assays often require that a liquid sample is mixed and/or that its cellular contents are lysed at one or more steps in the assay. Previously, in order to mix a liquid sample, the sample is placed in a container, which is then positioned on an agitation device. The agitation device shakes the container, thereby mixing the liquid contents of the container. Lysing of cells in a liquid sample may involve the addition of micron-sized, rigid particles to the sample prior to the mixing step. In this agitation process, known as bead beating, the rigid particles disrupt the cell wall with productive collisions, thereby lysing the cells.
Conventionally, a sample container has a circular interior chamber with a smooth surface. Although ideal for some uses, the smooth surface may hinder efficient mixing or lysing. For example, rather than making numerous productive collisions with the cellular components of the liquid sample, the rigid particles used in bead beating may primarily travel in a circle in the interior diameter of the container, generating few productive collisions. Therefore, there is an unmet need in the field to develop methods for increasing the efficiency with which a liquid sample can be mixed and/or its cellular components can be lysed.